Motherhood
by Tisha
Summary: Most of the senshi have kids now, and they haven't faced an enemy in years. But then the kids start randomly disappearing and they must figure out how to get them back.
1. Children

Author's Notes: This story goes along with my "Friends Forever" series, so if you want some backstory on the families the senshi have in this one, check out "Undying Love", "Silence", "Inner Turmoil", "Alone", "Deceived", "Consequences", "To Love Again", and "Captive". Otherwise, I hope you can read this alone without getting too lost.

Time: About 3 years after "Captive."

-Motherhood-

By: Tisha

Chapter 1: Children

It was quite an amusing sight to anyone who may have been watching. The first thing you would have seen would be six children of random ages running in all directions after the ducks that scattered as the many hands came after them. Next you would see five exasperated women running in the same various directions trying to round up the herd of kids.

"Ducky!" Kioshi barely managed to miss his mother's arms as he ran after one of the ducks that had just flown away. On his way to the duck he managed to distract Ami from her task of catching Kado, and Kioshi called for the other little boy to follow him. "Let's get ducky!" Ami and Makoto exchanged looks as their little boys, both in their terrible twos, teamed up together.

A streak of bright pink hair went between the two and Usagi stopped next to them a minute later. "Chibi-Usa, leave Kado alone!" She watched as her daughter hesitantly dropped the handful of dark hair she was holding and Kado ran to escape from her. She had been pestering him from the day he was old enough to grab at her toys and Chibi-Usa made it a point to show him that she was in charge.

Usagi shook her head and looked to Ami. "I'm sorry, I just can't get her to stop."

Ami just smiled at her. "He shouldn't have tried to take her toys in the first place. I sometimes wonder where he gets the rowdiness." She sighed and watched her son play with the other children.

Minako was the only one who was resting peacefully as she talked with Rei. Takara was old enough to know how to play safely and she also served as a good baby-sitter for her younger sister. When Aiko had been younger, Takara was extremely jealous and was always causing trouble. Lately though, she had matured and watched over her as if she were her mother. Not that Aiko needed much watching- she was quite a shy, peaceful child.

Makoto finally caught Kioshi before he tracked through a muddy spot. Her two children were very different in looks and personality. Naomi looked a lot like her with her dark hair, but she was more like her father- calm and sophisticated. Kioshi was blonde and he had his mother's wild spirit.

Chibi-Usa's favorite playmate was Aiko. Although Aiko was more reserved than she was, Chibi-Usa could get her to act up and they had been accomplices on many little "missions."

The six kids together, even with five adults to watch them, always turned out to be quite a show.

Ami heard a squeal and looked to see Kado following a duck right into the lake. "Kado, you're getting all wet!" She ran after the boy who sported her dark blue hair and caught him just before he dived in headfirst. "Oh no, your pants are soaked!"

"I've got an extra pair." Makoto spoke up and grabbed her bag. "Kioshi is always messing up his clothes so I brought an extra." She found the desired object and handed them to Ami, who thanked her.

Usagi looked around to see what everyone was now doing. Minako was sitting in the grass with Aiko in her lap. Makoto was trying to get both of her children to stop chasing the ducks, or at least the few of them that hadn't flown away. Ami was explaining something to Kado. Takara was sitting in the grass. Usagi suddenly realized something was wrong and she looked back over the group, realizing her own daughter was missing.

She gasped and ran to where most of her friends were settled. "Where's Chibi-Usa?" Her frantically stated question caused all eyes to search for the little girl. Rei stood up and went toward Usagi.

"Calm down, she was just here. We'll find her." She tried to comfort Usagi with a hand on her shoulder while the others started to call out for her. Usagi was not to be comforted though and she joined in with the shouts. There was no answer and Usagi noticed a soft pulling on her skirt. She looked down to see two-year-old Kioshi looking up at her.

Makoto came up to them. "Kioshi, what is it?"

The little boy turned to look at his mother. "There." He pointed his finger toward the other end of the park. "Ice cream." Usagi and Makoto both squinted to see the ice cream cart.

Usagi ran off in that direction, knowing that Chibi-Usa loved ice cream. As she expected, Chibi-Usa was trying to jump up and see the flavors in the cart. The man working there gave her a disturbed face. "This your kid?" Usagi just nodded as she picked Chibi-Usa up.

"You should watch her closer."

"Thank You." Usagi tried to be kind as she turned away.

"Mama, I want ice cream."

"Well the next time you want ice cream, you ask me. Don't go running off like that. Your punishment will be to have no ice cream."

The three-year-old scrunched her nose and crossed her arms. "You're mean. I'm gonna tell daddy."

Usagi smiled at the comment as she made her way back to her friends. "You go ahead. I'm sure he'll be a lot tougher about it than I was."

The little girl's eyes widened at the thought and she stuck her lip out. "Sowwy Mama."

Usagi smiled, not being able to resist her daughter's childish charm. "Just don't do it again." An idea came to her that Chibi-Usa was sure to like. "How about we go see Grandma?"

Chibi-Usa immediately brightened up at the mention of it. "Will Uncle Shingo be there?"

"No, he's still away on work. You can see Grandma and Grandpa though." It was enough for Chibi-Usa and she couldn't sit still until Usagi told the others goodbye and headed in her car for the house she grew up in.

•••••••••••••••••••

The doorbell rang and Ikuko moved toward it, wondering who it could possibly be. She pulled it open and was ecstatic to see her daughter and granddaughter. "Oooh!" She squealed as she reached down to pick up Chibi-Usa, who didn't protest.

"Look who's here!" She shifted Chibi-Usa on her hip and looked at Usagi. "She's getting so heavy!"

Usagi nodded and came in. "She's been growing so fast."

Ikuko looked out the door and turned back to Usagi. "Where's Mamoru?"

"Working. I was just at the park with the girls and I thought I'd bring Chibi-Usa over for a while." Ikuko closed the door as the three of them went into the living room. Ikuko sat down with Chibi-Usa in her lap and Usagi sat in the recliner across from them. "Where's dad?"

Ikuko sighed. "Also working. You two should visit me more often."

Usagi smiled at her mom. "You know, we really should. It's been hectic lately though."

Ikuko nodded in understanding. She thoroughly enjoyed any time she spent with her daughter and only grandchild. "So, what are you and Mamoru planning for your anniversary?"

Usagi shrugged. "Nothing really big. Mamoru mentioned something about getting a babysitter while we went on a trip. I figured it wouldn't be hard to find a babysitter but I don't know what he had in mind."

"Well you two should go somewhere. I think you need a little time off. I'll be happy to watch Chibi-Usa of course." She smiled at her daughter, thinking of how mature she had become with the responsibility of being a mother. To Ikuko it hadn't been a surprise when Usagi announced her plans to marry Mamoru, but she had still had doubts. She was very happy with the way it had turned out though. It was obvious they had a mature love and it hadn't been too soon for them to get married. They had been married for eight full years and had been very happy.

•••••••••••••••••••

"Mama?" Minako looked down at the word and smiled at Aiko.

"Yes Dear?"

"I wanna go school." She widened her eyes in anticipation of her mother's answer and waited as Minako put a lid over the pan she was cooking in.

Minako then kneeled down in front of her daughter. It amazed her how much Takara and Aiko looked alike even though they had different fathers. They both took after Minako with the full blond hair, but they also had green eyes, acquired from their respective fathers. "You want to go to school like Takara does?"

Aiko nodded causing her blond curls to bounce. Minako smiled and then forced a sad face. "Well if you were at school there would be no one to keep me company all day." Aiko just kept staring at her and Minako laughed. "Don't worry, it's only a year until you start school."

Aiko's green eyes lit up and she smiled, turning to leave again. Minako smiled at how wonderful her kids were. She was really happy with her life. She returned happily to the meal she was cooking.

"There's my beautiful wife."

Minako smiled at her husband's warm voice and turned to him. He had a single yellow rose in his hand and Minako shook her head at his sweetness. He was always bringing her and the girls gifts. She gratefully accepted the rose and the kiss that came with it. Her life was so much fuller with Shiro in it. They had been married for over five years. There was a time Minako had been ready to accept being a single mother for the rest of her life. She never expected or planned on meeting Shiro, but she was very glad that she had.

Minako closed her eyes, savoring the feel of Shiro's embrace. "Do you know how much I love you?"

He pulled back to look at her face. "It can't possibly be as much as I love you."

Minako cocked her head to the left in a playful way. "Oh yeah? I love you a WHOLE lot!"

Shiro smiled. "And I love you two whole lots."

Minako laughed. "Well then I-" He silenced her by putting a finger to her lips.

"Let's just call it a tie."

Minako smiled and kissed him again before getting back to the dinner she was cooking, realizing that it was going to burn. "I think there are two little girls waiting for you in the next room."

Shiro didn't have to be asked twice. He was out of the kitchen seconds later and Minako heard a young voice exclaim, "Daddy!"

•••••••••••••••••••

Jifu walked through the door and almost instantly felt the impact against his leg. He bent down and hoisted his young attacker into his arms. "Does that mean you're glad to see me, Kioshi?"

Kioshi just smiled, happy to be in his dad's arms. Jifu went deeper into the room where he found Naomi. She was sitting on the floor, silently playing with a doll. "Hi Naomi."

She looked up at her father rather seriously. "Oh, I forgot!" With that she took off up the stairs. Jifu frowned and sat on the couch, expecting her to return. Makoto came into the room then.

"I thought I heard you come in." She stood across from him. "Any reason you're just sitting here?"

"I'm waiting for Naomi. I think she went to get something."

Makoto nodded, knowing what Naomi was up to. She looked at Kioshi, who was still being held by his father. "I've got your cookies ready. They're in the kitchen."

Kioshi wriggled out of Jifu's arms and headed around the corner for the kitchen. The kitchen in their house was very large. Jifu had been sure to look for that feature as a surprise for Makoto. As he had expected, she loved it. She enjoyed cooking even more now that she had a husband and two kids to cook and bake for.

Makoto sat next to her husband and put her arm through his, scooting up against him. "How was your day?"

"About the same as every other." They both turned to the soft footsteps on the stairs as Naomi re-appeared. She came up to her father with a piece of paper and shyly handed it to him.

"Here Daddy, I made this for you."

Jifu smiled at her and took the paper. It was a drawing of a cat. A cat that just happened to be black with a yellow moon on its head. Naomi loved animals and of course the talking cats were her favorite. Jifu smiled at her. "It's beautiful. I think you're going to be an artist."

Naomi just smiled and walked away, heading for the kitchen to get some cookies. Her parents exchanged smiles and resumed their talk of the day's occurrences.

•••••••••••••••••••

"Noooooooo!" A very naked two-year-old made his way down the hallway as fast as he could. He simply hated bath time, and this was his way of showing it. Ami followed him around the house remembering Usagi's words. 'Whatever will you do with him? You are so reserved and he is so... wild.' It was certainly true that Ami wasn't used to chasing children all over just to get them to clean themselves.

Kado rounded the corner and climbed onto Ami's bed, trying to corner himself in the headboard. Ami smiled as she approached him, giving him no way to escape. "I've got you now Kado; you are going to take a bath."

Kado, desperate for a way out, decided on another approach. He stuck his lip out as far as he could and tried his very hardest to make a pouting face. "I scared of water."

Ami almost giggled. "You really are my opposite." She gathered her son in her arms anyway and carried him toward the bathroom. "But you will be a clean little boy."

Kado began wiggling again, realizing his plan wasn't working. He made a loud squeal as Ami tightened her grip and he finally stopped his fighting, facing up to his doom. He looked at Ami and crossed his arms. "Oh well, you win."

Ami shook her head, amazed at the things his two-year-old mind came up with. She finally got him to cooperate with his bath and got him cleaned up. Once he was tucked into bed, or at least Ami hoped he was still in bed, she snuggled in on the couch with a book.

To be continued...


	2. Vacation

-Motherhood-

Chapter 2: Vacation

By: Tisha

Entering his house, all Mamoru saw was a huge mess in the kitchen. Flour was spilled everywhere and other items were scattered across the counter. He frowned, looking around for his wife and daughter. A sudden piercing scream from above his head told him where his daughter was, and a deeper voice and pounding footsteps alerted him to his wife's whereabouts.

Mamoru sighed, putting down his equipment and climbing the stairs. Little white footprints led a trail to his bedroom, and he followed them. His eyes widened at the sight he found. Chibi-Usa was covered with flour and some sticky substances and was burying herself under the covers of her parents' bed. Usagi, also covered in baking ingredients, was trying to corner her.

"Uh...need some help?"

Usagi looked at him and sighed in relief. "Mamo-chan, thank GOD you're home!"

Mamoru chuckled and came toward his wife. He kissed her quickly and made a face at the flour that was now on his lips. "What on earth have you two been up to?"

Usagi rolled her eyes and pointed an accusing finger at her daughter, who was completely submerged in the covers except for one eye that was peeking out. "It's all her fault!"

Mamoru smiled at the way she sounded like she had when she was fourteen and had first met Chibi-Usa. Mamoru had no trouble getting Chibi-Usa from the bed and he carried her to the master bathroom to clean her up. Usagi followed him while telling her story.

"My mother came up with the brilliant idea to bake a cake with her! She said I had loved it at Chibi-Usa's age." She was moving her hands to explain it as Mamoru used a washcloth to clean his daughter. "Well I probably should have figured that that only went well because my mom could cook. Two bad cooks only makes things worse and soon enough Chibi-Usa was throwing flour everywhere!"

Mamoru smiled at the way she could at least admit that she wasn't the best cook. He looked at his daughter sternly as he handed the washcloth to his wife. "Usagi, were you giving your mother a hard time?"

The pink haired girl only looked at her mother and then back at Mamoru and shook her head. "No, mommy was giving ME a hard time." She pointed her thumb at her chest for emphasis.

Usagi frowned as she was wiping her face off. "Chibi-Usa, that is not true. We just won't be able to do anything fun together if you act up when I try to."

Chibi-Usa looked down at her feet, feeling a little ashamed. She almost enjoyed making her mom have to chase her, but she didn't like it when she made her look sad.

"Chibi-Usa, why don't you play alone in your room for a while? You can decide whether you'd rather do that all day or have your mom do fun stuff with you."

She left the room, doing as her father asked although she wasn't too happy about it. Mamoru sighed and turned to Usagi. He could see some built up tears in her eyes. "Usako, what's wrong?"

Usagi wiped at her eyes and shrugged. "I just hate having to punish her. She's been so much trouble lately. Today when we were at the park she ran off." She looked at her husband's loving eyes and barely managed to keep her tears inside. "I was so scared."

Mamoru hugged her and led her into the sitting room off of their bedroom. He wiped away a bit of flour that she'd missed on her chin. "We might need to be even stricter to get her to obey."

Usagi looked at him sadly but nodded her agreement, knowing that it was true.

Mamoru sighed and then smiled. "Well how about getting two weeks alone?"

Usagi's eyes widened. "Two whole weeks? What about your job?"

"I've got a week paid vacation and I managed to get another week off." He paused to pull a brochure from his pocket. He was careful to hide it from her view as he continued. "Where would you love to spend the time?"

Usagi shrugged. "I really don't care as long as I'm with you."

Mamoru smiled at her and handed her the brochure.

Usagi's eyes widened as she looked at the location it focused on. "California? That's in America!" Mamoru only nodded, and Usagi looked through the pages at the beautiful pictures. It looked so different from Tokyo with way less buildings and a lot more trees and fields. "That would be so fun!"

Mamoru smiled, happy that she liked the idea. "We'd be leaving Saturday. Can your mom watch Chibi-Usa?"

Usagi nodded, still taking in the pictures. "She said today that she'd love to. I just hope she can handle her."

Mamoru smirked. "She handled you, didn't she?"

Usagi slapped him playfully in response and smiled. "Where in California are we going?"

"Well the first week we'll be near Hollywood. Then we're going to fly to San Francisco for the next week."

Usagi bit her lip in excitement. "This is going to be the best trip ever!"

•••••••••••••••••••

A soft bouncing of the mattress woke Ami up and she looked down at the end of the bed to see Kado curling up by her feet. She slowly sat up in her bed, trying not to wake Urawa.

"Kado, honey, what's wrong?"

The young blue-haired boy looked up at her, surprised. He crawled up to sit near her and she put her arms around him. "I had a scawy dream."

"Really? What was it about?"

Kado put his head on his mother's lap and looked up at her. "Mon-ser."

Ami smiled at him. "You know what? I think the next time you have a scary dream you should imagine Sailor Moon saving you."

Kado giggled a little. "An Merky?" Ami understood his toddler speech that he meant Mercury. She smiled. A TV show had recently started all about the sailor senshi. It was amazing how close they had come to the truth with many of its happenings. Kado as well as all the senshi's kids enjoyed the show. Kado immediately liked Mercury the best, saying that she 'looked like mama.'

"Yeah, Mercury too." She smiled at him. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

He nodded. "Senshi save me!"

"That's right. How about I let you sleep in here with us for tonight, just in case?"

Kado's face lit up as he crawled beneath the covers without having to be asked again. Ami smiled as she settled herself back into bed beside her son and husband.

•••••••••••••••••••

Usagi looked back over all the items in the closet and tried to think if she would need any of them. She sighed and leafed through some shirts.

"Usako, if you pack one more thing, you'll bring down the plane."

Usagi spun around and put her hands on her hips. "Don't say that! You know the plane scares me!"

He smiled and came closer to her. "Because of my trip, right?" When she didn't answer he knew he had answer enough. "Usako, that was only because Galaxia attacked the plane. It won't happen again."

Usagi sighed and came out of the closet. "I know. It's just that I've never left Chibi-Usa before...well purposely at least."

Mamoru cringed at the though. He knew she was speaking of the time she had been kidnapped and away from himself and Chibi-Usa for nearly a month. He helped her close up the last of the suitcases and grabbed two of them to take downstairs, leaving Usagi to carry the two carry-ons. She picked them up and followed Mamoru down the stairs.

Chibi-Usa was in the family room playing with a toy and she looked up when she heard them coming. "Mama, I don't want you to go!"

Usagi set down her two bags and kneeled in front of her daughter. "Chibi-Usa, I'm going to miss you too. The whole time we're gone. And we'll call you."

"But I'm scared."

"You shouldn't be scared. You'll be with your grandma the whole time. Your dad and me will bring you back a gift, okay?"

Chibi-Usa perked up a bit with that announcement and she slowly nodded her head. Usagi gave her a kiss and stood again, picking up the two bags as the three of them headed for the car. The drive to Usagi's old home took a little over ten minutes and Ikuko met them at the door. She picked up her granddaughter.

"Hi Chibi-Usa. We're going to have lots of fun, aren't we?" Chibi-Usa nodded her head, causing her pink ponytail to bounce.

Usagi and Mamoru came inside but only stayed in the hall. "We're already running late and we don't want to miss the plane."

Ikuko put Chibi-Usa down and hugged her daughter. "All right. Have fun you two."

Usagi smiled. "We will. We'll be calling every couple days." She gave her daughter one last kiss and waved good-bye to her parents.

•••••••••••••••••••

"Kids are exhausting, aren't they?"

Minako laughed. "Yeah, I think I know that better than anyone."

"That's true. I can't imagine if I had raised Naomi alone."

"Naomi? She's the sweetest little thing. Takara definitely went through terrible two's."

Makoto refilled Minako's coffee cup and sat down across from her. The two of them were getting together to talk and let their kids play. Makoto sighed. "It's amazing how fast the time goes. It seems like I was just having Naomi and now she's four!" She shook her head. "Jifu wants to have another one but I don't think I'm up for that."

"Really? I wouldn't mind having a son." Aiko wandered into the kitchen and climbed onto Minako's lap. "Aiko, why aren't you playing with Naomi?"

She looked up at her mom and shrugged. "Don't wanna." She buried her face into Minako's shirt. Minako stroked her curly blond hair and looked at Makoto.

"Do your kids get along well?"

Makoto thought for a second. "Not as well as yours do. I think it's the difference from boys and girls though. Naomi loves Kioshi and she tries to help him out with everything but he hates it. He wants to do everything on his own."

"Aiko totally adores Takara-"

"Do not."

Minako laughed at the input from her daughter. "She wants to do everything that she does. I think it's always like that with older sisters though."

Aiko pulled her head back to look at her mother with the crystal green eyes of hers. "Mama, Kara only wants to play with Nomi."

Minako smiled at her. "Well Naomi is more her own age. Why don't you play with Kioshi?"

Aiko scrunched her nose. "But he's a boy." After displaying her disgust at such a thought she jumped down and left anyway.

Minako looked at Makoto and both started laughing. Minako sighed. "I don't know what I would have done without Shiro. No Shiro means no Aiko either."

Makoto nodded. "We were all so glad you found him. I know you hated it when we worried about you but we couldn't help it."

"I think I understand it though. But it was a good little family, just her and me." She thought back to that time five years ago and shook her head. "But it's definitely easier now. Even though I do have an extra kid."

Makoto sighed. "We all were really lucky weren't we?"

Minako nodded. They really had been lucky to end up with wonderful lives and families. She took a sip of her coffee and looked at her watch. "I should be going. Shiro's taking us to that fair tonight and the girls need baths." She stood up and brought her cup to the sink, rinsing it out.

Makoto stood up too. "All right, have fun."

"Thanks. Bye, Mako." She went into the front hall and called upstairs for her kids. Aiko came slowly down the stairs and Takara soon followed her. Once she had gathered them up and got them settled into the car she headed home.

To be continued...


	3. Disappearance

-Motherhood-

Chapter 3: Disappearance

By: Tisha

It was a beautiful, bright spring morning on a Saturday and the four girls decided to attempt a picnic with the kids. Makoto had a basket full of delicious food that she prepared, Ami was carrying a half-asleep Kado, Minako was holding Aiko's, and Rei was carrying Kioshi since his moth had her hands full with the food. Following the four adults were four children. Takara and Naomi walked ahead of the adults.

They were headed to the Tsukino house to see if Chibi-Usa could join them. The kids were already starting to get tired from the walk when they finally neared the correct street. Makoto and Minako, who were leading the group, started to slow down.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rei pushed through between them and stopped as cold as they had. There were at least four police cars with flashing lights parked right outside of the very place they were heading. Silently, they all continued walking. The door was open but they didn't go in. Instead, Minako rang the doorbell. After a few minutes of waiting impatiently a panicked looking Ikuko finally came to the door. She looked at all of them and waved a hand for them to come in.

"What are you girls doing here?"

Makoto looked at the others and spoke up. "We were heading for a picnic and wanted Chibi-Usa to join us."

Ikuko cringed a little at the mention of Chibi-Usa's name. "Chibi-Usa's gone."

"What?" was the response of all four women. "What do you mean? When?"

Ikuko wrung her hands together. "Not long ago. I wasn't gone for more than five minutes and she was just gone. I didn't even hear anything." They could tell that she hadn't even cried, she was just in a state of shock.

Rei pulled Kioshi closer to herself. "Have you called Usagi?"

Ikuko bit her lip. "No. How can I tell her that I lost her daughter?"

Rei handed Kioshi to Makoto, who had set the picnic basket down. "Tsukino-san, she's not going to blame you, but she has to know. We can't let them stay in California for another week."

Ikuko nodded and led toward the kitchen. The girls got a glimpse of policemen all through the living room. She took a piece of paper off of the refrigerator. "This is the number in San Francisco. That's where they are now." She handed the phone to Rei, not feeling stable enough to make the call herself.

Rei looked at Ami. "What time is it in California?"

"About six."

Ikuko nodded. "They usually call in about an hour."

Rei dialed the number and waited until a man answered the phone. "Please connect me to room 304." Rei tried her best to speak proper English and there was a long silence and then ringing, so she figured she said it right. It just kept ringing though, but Rei waited. The man came back on. "Would you like to leave a message?" Rei mentally tried to work through the words and then she quickly repeated them to Ami, who responded by taking the phone.

"Do you know when Mister and Misses Chiba should be back to their room?" There was a second of silence and then the man responded. "Actually I think they had dinner reservations about now, should I connect you to the restaurant?"

"Sure."

Ami waited while there was more ringing, and she told the woman who answered to page them. "They aren't here, they had a reservation twnty minutes ago but they never showed up." "All right, thank you." Ami hung up the phone. "They didn't show up for their dinner reservations."

Makoto bit her lip. "Is this all supposed to mean something?"

Minako shook her head. "I don't like it. It doesn't seem like them to not show up."

Ikuko was looking even more worried now. "Are you saying that maybe Usagi and Mamoru are missing too? How could that be?"

Rei put a hand on her arm to comfort her. "I'm sure they're fine. Let's just wait for an hour and see if they call. If they don't, we'll try again."

"Why don't we just focus on Chibi-Usa? Have the police found anything? Were there broken windows or fingerprints? Was the door unlocked?" Minako tried to make sense of the strange disappearance.

"Well, I'm not sure if the door was locked, but I was right here in the kitchen and I never heard it open or close. There's nothing broken and they haven't yet found any signs of anything. I never even heard Chibi-Usa make a sound." She shook her head at the obvious mystery of it.

The four looked at each other, their eyes telling each other of their silent worries. The three who were mothers felt the urge to hold tightly onto their kids.

One of the policemen came into the room and looked at all the women. "I'm sorry miss, but we can't find any evidence. We'll take the picture and make some fliers. Please contact us if you think of anything else that can help."

•••••••••••••••••••

Four hours and six attempts later they still hadn't talked to Usagi or Mamoru. The police had called to say that they had done everything possible and would just have to wait until something came up about Chibi-Usa. Poor Ikuko was going out of her mind worrying that she not only lost her granddaughter but her daughter too. The kids had all fallen asleep in Usagi's old room upstairs, which was now used as a playroom for Chibi-Usa.

Everyone finally agreed that they needed to go home. Kenji had been home for over an hour so they didn't have to worry about leaving Ikuko anymore. Each of the four gathered the kids and left the house, but they gathered outside to talk.

"I say we get all these kids home and meet at the shrine in about a half hour." Everyone agreed with Rei's suggestion.

A half hour later they all managed to meet up at the shrine. Once they were seated, Minako didn't waste any time in expressing her concern. "You think this is another enemy?"

Rei shrugged. "I tried a fire reading but I couldn't get anything."

"If Usagi and Mamoru really are missing, then I wouldn't doubt it."

"But who could possibly want both of them and Chibi-Usa, but ignore all of us?"

"Who knows, I'm just worried that they'll come back and want more." Makoto, like Ami and Minako, was worried about her kids above all else.

A ringing suddenly brought everyone to attention as Minako fished in her purse for her cell phone. They were all hoping it'd be either Usagi, returning their messages, or Ikuko, with some news. "Hello?" The others watched as Minako's face went completely pale. For a minute she just listened with her mouth open. It obviously took her a lot of strength to say something. "Are you sure? Have you looked everywhere?" With a little more listening she hung up. Her eyes filled with water.

Ami put an arm around her shoulders. "Minako, what is it?"

A sob escaped her throat and she looked at her friends. "Takara's gone. Nothing broken. It's the exact same thing."

"Oh my God. What about Aiko?"

"Aiko's fine. Exactly where she was."

It was quiet for a minute and Makoto asked to use Minako's phone. She dialed quickly and waited. When she heard her husband answer she blurted out the sentence. "Please tell me that our children are okay."

"Makoto? What are you talking about? I just put them to bed a few minutes ago."

Makoto's voice became hoarse. "Please check."

"All right." She waited and she heard the sound of a door. "Kioshi's fine." She waited until she heard the second door but Jifu didn't say anything.

"Jifu? Naomi- is she okay?"

"Mako...she's gone."

Makoto closed her eyes. "I'll be home soon." She hung up the phone and cursed out loud. The others looked at her, waiting to find out. "Naomi's gone."

Without a word Ami took the phone and mirrored everything Makoto had just done. She heard Urawa going up the stairs to check. "He's fine, Ami. Sleeping just like he was." She sighed in relief. "Don't leave that room until I get home, okay?" "Sure." She hung up and looked at the others. "Kado is fine."

Rei looked at the three. "This doesn't make any sense. They are disappearing quietly and randomly."

Minako, who had managed to control her sobbing, took the phone that was being handed to her. "So all of us are missing a kid except Ami. Why hasn't this person taken Kado? And why would it take Mamoru and Usagi if it hasn't gotten any of us?"

"Well it could still come back. Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa disappeared hours before the others." Makoto paused and stood up. "I have to get home." The others nodded in agreement and each went their ways, each worrying about the kids that had been taken and scared for the ones that hadn't.

•••••••••••••••••••

Minako sat silently with Shiro's arm around her while the policewoman questioned them. "So, you weren't Takara's real father?"

"Well, not biologically, but-"

Minako cut him off. "Stop it. You can't ask that. Shiro didn't do anything to her. She loves him. He is her father to us all."

The woman looked at her for a second and then went on with her questioning. "No one ever came in through the door?"

"No. I was right here and the girls were both upstairs."

The woman wrote everything down. "Now, don't you people know all the parents of these other disappearances?"

Minako only nodded and the woman gathered her stuff. "I don't know what to tell you. This is the biggest mystery we've had for a while. We'll add your daughter to the fliers. I'll call you later if we find anything." Shiro showed the woman to the door and returned to give Minako a comforting hug.

"We'll find them. All of them."

Minako sighed. "I hope so."

•••••••••••••••••••

Usagi moaned and rubbed her eyes. She slowly opened them to take in her surroundings. All she saw was big stone walls and she squinted, trying to clear her head.

"Usako?"

She turned to the voice and found Mamoru sitting nearby against the wall. She held her head. "Where are we?"

"You don't remember?"

She thought for a second, desperately trying to remember. She remembered being in the hotel room and then a man appeared out of nowhere. She shivered at how much it had reminded her of Raidon and her encounter with him three years ago. "Vaguely."

"I think he put us to sleep somehow."

Usagi scooted closer to Mamoru and leaned her aching head on his shoulder. "Why do things like this always happen to us?"

"I wish I knew. I just hope Chibi-Usa's okay."

She bit her lip. "No one will even know we're gone."

Mamoru put his arm around her, pulling her close to him and savoring the feel of having her near. "Well eventually they'll realize it. If we miss calling everyday they have to wonder."

Just the thought of her daughter made Usagi want to cry. She had been taken away from her once, when she was only a baby, and even then it seemed that the little girl missed her. Now both of her parents were gone, and she had no idea how long they'd be gone before they could get out of this. "Poor Chibi-Usa, she'll think we're not calling on purpose."

Usagi and Mamoru both snapped to attention as one of the walls flickered with light and the picture of a man appeared, as if it were a giant television screen. Usagi recognized it as the same man that suddenly appeared in their hotel room before they ended up here.

"I don't think you have to worry about the little girl missing your call. She's not home to get it anyway." Usagi gasped as she suddenly heard the sound of children coming from the screen; it sounded like they were crying. The man suddenly bent down and came up with Chibi-Usa in him arms. "Look familiar?"

Usagi held onto Mamoru's hand even tighter. "Please let her go!"

Mamoru stood up, pulling Usagi up with him. "If you dare touch her I'll make you regret it."

The man looked amused at this as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Really? Now I don't see anything you can do." He set her down and then picked up another child. "I've got more, you see?"

Both Usagi and Mamoru knew exactly who that was. And as he continued to pick up little girls they recognized them all. Usagi couldn't stand the thought of her mother and friends at home in Tokyo missing all these children. "What do you want? Why are we here?"

The man put down Naomi, the last child he was holding, and stared straight ahead through the screen. "Well, I guess you'll have to find out soon enough." With that the reception was cut and the wall went back to its normal, dark state. Usagi fell into her husband's arms and started crying as he held her close.

To be continued...


	4. Clues

-Motherhood-

Chapter 4: Clues

By: Tisha

Makoto heard footsteps heading toward the kitchen and quickly wiped the tears away from her eyes. She told herself she wouldn't let anyone see her cry again. The night before she had cried, like she never had before, and Jifu was a great support. But she hated to appear that weak, she wouldn't let the tears be seen. When her face was dry she continued preparing the pancakes until she felt a soft tap on her thigh.

She took a deep breath and turned to find exactly what she had expected, her son. She bent down to look at him. "Mama, where's Nomi?" Makoto had to bite her lip to stop the tears from returning.

She took her son's tiny hand and squeezed it. "It's okay, Kioshi. We're going to get her back, okay? Don't worry."

Kioshi looked confused but he never questioned something his parents seemed so sure of, so he let it go as he quietly sat in his chair at the table. Makoto returned to the breakfast as she did the final touches and put the pancakes on plates. She noticed that she had grabbed one too many plates and again felt her eyes water. _Okay, Mako, you have to get a hold of yourself. No crying, be strong._ She put the extra plate away and set the other three on the table just as Jifu came into the room and took his seat. Makoto forced a smiled and sat in her own chair, trying to ignore the empty chair to her left.

•••••••••••••••••••

"But WHY? I don't care if he locks me in here forever, or kills me, but WHY does he have to take those sweet, innocent kids. What kind of a threat could they be?"

Mamoru shook his head, as puzzled as Usagi was. "Listen Usako. We've gotten through these things before. We got you back from Raidon when I thought it was hopeless. We've beat these things before and we have to trust that we can again, okay?"

Usagi looked at the ground. "I know, I just wish there were something more we could do." Mamoru's large hand engulfed her own and she savored the heat of his touch. She was all too thankful that Mamoru was with her. The memories of being kidnapped continued flooding her brain and it almost became too much. The night before she'd had several nightmares about it. She took in a shuddery breath and tightened her grasp on his hand. A light caught her eye and she looked up to see the wall again turn into a screen.

The man appeared and Usagi immediately let go of Mamoru's hand and got to her feet. "Please, I don't know what you want but please, just let me see my daughter."

The man looked blankly at them for a minute and then spoke. "These little brats are acting up. Do you know how to calm them down?"

"Yeah, give them their mothers back."

The man looked madder and he spat the next sentence. "Can you shut them up or can't you?"

Usagi nodded quickly. "If Mamo-chan can come too."

The man rolled his eyes and the screen went blank. Usagi turned to Mamoru. "What's that supposed to mean?" Mamoru only shrugged in return. They waited a few minutes before hearing the quiet click of the door being unlocked. A man entered and silently motioned for them to follow him, and they obeyed. They were led past many shut doors before the man finally stopped. He unlocked the door and then stood aside. Mamoru and Usagi went inside and the man didn't hesitate to shut the door and lock it once again.

Usagi looked around but didn't see anything. She turned to Mamoru. "Where are they?" Before Mamoru got to speak the door opened again. Three different men entered each carrying a child. They roughly set them down and left again. All three children clung to either Usagi or Mamoru and Usagi looked at Mamoru with sad eyes. "They're so scared."

He nodded with the same look in his eyes as he embraced his daughter. She didn't even say a word, just sniffled as she desperately clung to the familiar person. Takara acted excited but not quite as scared as the younger ones. Naomi tried to follow Takara's lead but still couldn't hide how relieved she was to see her aunt Usagi. Usagi's eyes watered as she kissed Chibi-Usa's head and looked at the other two's frightened faces, praying that they could get them out of here soon.

•••••••••••••••••••

Ami paced back and forth. "Okay, it's been three days. Usagi and Mamoru most likely disappeared about the same time as Chibi-Usa. And Takara and Naomi together six hours later. So they took a couple at a time but they haven't taken any more."

"Does that mean they're done?" Makoto leaned against a pole at the temple.

Minako, who was sitting on the steps with Aiko in her arms, spoke up. "Well I hope it does. Five people is already a lot for us to track down and get back. And we *are* going to get them back."

"Of course we are."

Rei felt sorry for the two of them, she couldn't imagine having your own child taken and she knew that they really did have to get them back. There were too many families involved. "Okay, we have to get some kind of a lead or something. It's got to be some enemy like that Raidon guy three years ago. If Usagi and Mamoru disappeared at the same time as Chibi-Usa then he must be able to teleport."

The others nodded and then fell silent once again. Suddenly a glow appeared and they all stared at it with wide eyes as Sailor Pluto appeared.

Makoto gasped. "Setsuna, you can tell us where they took them! Please tell us."

Pluto looked at her sadly. "I wish I could, but you know I can't say more than is necessary. These disappearances forced me to return to the future and find out what's happening. The future has fallen into horrible hands without its rulers and senshi and you will need to stop it."

"What do you mean senshi? They haven't even taken us."

She sighed. "Like I said, I can't say much. Our children play a vital role in protecting Crystal Tokyo and that's why they were taken. Even in the future they have never resurfaced and everything is evil and violent. I'd doubt that any of you are still alive. You *must* free the king and queen, as well as the children, they are *dearly* needed." She looked at them almost pleadingly. "Good luck." With that she disappeared.

The four of them looked at each other. "So if they aren't in the future either he must kill them sometime." Minako said somewhat frantically.

Luna jumped onto her lap to calm her. "But they haven't yet. In fact, they can't kill Usagi. Without her Crystal Tokyo couldn't be formed. They'll need her until then. Then after that they'll probably kill her so that she can't rule it. For now, as least she is alive."

"Pluto said that our kids protect Crystal Tokyo. Then why haven't they come after all of them?"

Luna thought about it before Rei spoke up. "Wait a minute, they took Takara, Naomi, and Chibi-Usa. Maybe it's the first born."

Ami looked confused. "But then why wouldn't they take Kado?" She thought about it and then answered her own question, "Unless they need to be girls. That's it! They're the future senshi, our firstborn daughters!"

With the realization everyone was relieved and terrified at the same time. Makoto sat on a stair near Minako. "So they could already be dead then."

Luna narrowed her eyes, as if concentrating. "I wouldn't think so. Obviously Pluto knows more than she told us. She wouldn't have us rescue them if it was too late, they have to be waiting for something."

Rei's eyes suddenly turned hazy. "Could it be that they're waiting for me and Ami to have daughters? Maybe in the future we do."

"I guess that's possible."

•••••••••••••••••••

"Just tell me why you want the kids." Usagi tried to look demanding but she was almost shaking in fear and defeat. She felt Mamoru's grasp on her hand tighten.

The man on his usual giant TV screen appearance sighed. "All right, if it'll shut you up. It's not like you're ever going to get out of here anyway. I only took everyone who causes me trouble in the future."

"How could these kids cause you trouble?"

The man rolled his eyes at Mamoru. "*They* are the future senshi! How stupid can you people be? The first-born daughters of each of the senshi take over for their mothers ."

Usagi bit her lip, thinking. "Well then this isn't going to work because Rei and Ami don't *have* daughters! "

"Don't worry, they will. One of them is already carrying her daughter; she just doesn't know it yet. Too bad for her she'll never see the baby once she has it." He laughed evilly and Usagi started crying onto Mamoru's chest at the thought.

Mamoru continued to question the man as he stroked his wife's hair. "So what are you going to do with us?"

"Death is too fast and too easy. You'll stay here forever with just enough food to keep you alive. This screen will show you the world in ruins without you." The screen click off and Mamoru tried to comfort Usagi. He glanced at the children, noticing they were all still asleep.

To be continued...


	5. A Visitor

Author's Notes: In the first scene there's a reference to three of my stories that make up "The Minako Triolgy": "Deceived", "Consequences", and "To Love Again." You can read those if you want.

-Motherhood-

Chapter 5: A Visitor

By: Tisha

"Mama, did Kara's daddy take her away?"

Minako's breath caught in her throat at the question. She turned around to look at her daughter. The girl stood innocently, expecting an answer. Minako glanced at Shiro to see that he had the same reaction. "Aiko, what do you mean?"

The little girl bit her lip and looked between her parents. "Doesn't Aiko have a different daddy than I do?"

Minako swallowed hard. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I heard you say Kara's daddy is named G or something."

Minako was amazed at how bright the girl was at almost four years old. She wasn't sure when she had mentioned Keiji in front of the kids. She struggled for something to say to properly explain it to her but Shiro had already crouched down in front of Aiko.

"Aiko, honey, I'm your daddy right?"

Aiko creased her brow in confusion but nodded her head. "Course."

"Because I'm the one who loves you and plays with you every day right?"

"Yeah."

"Well I love Takara the same. You are both my daughters."

The little girl looked even more confused as she looked to her mother for an explanation. "But how can Kara have two daddies?"

Minako smiled. "Aiko, all kids have a mommy and a daddy. Sometimes they have even more than one though. Takara does have a different daddy from a long time ago. But what your dad means is that he loves both of you. Takara is still her old dad's daughter, but he's not a very good dad, so to her your dad is her real dad too. Do you understand that?" Minako realized how stupid it had sounded but hoped it made some sense anyway.

Aiko nodded, her blond pigtails bobbing up and down. "So Kara's other daddy doesn't love her and she borrowed mine, right?"

Minako smiled. "I guess you can say that. But she's not only borrowing him; he'll always be a daddy to both of you and love you the same."

Aiko nodded her head, looking serious. "But did he take her?"

Minako was at a loss for words so Shiro took over again. "No, Aiko. Her old daddy didn't take Takara, but someone else did. Some bad person. But they're going to get caught for it and Takara will come home."

Aiko nodded, a large smile growing on her face. "Sailor Moon's gonna save her, right?"

Minako smiled and hugged her daughter, wishing that they *knew* where Sailor Moon was. "I guess she will."

•••••••••••••••••••

There was a knock at the door and Rei went to open it. There was a man, about mid-twenties, with strikingly familiar blue hair. The shade of blue was so dark it almost looked black. Rei had a weird feeling she knew this person, but she really had no idea who it was. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Hino Rei?"

Rei nodded. "Who are you?"

"Kind of a long story. I'm here to help you. Please call the other senshi."

Rei swallowed the lump in her throat, but something told her this person could be trusted. Unable to speak, she pulled the door opened. Once he came inside and seated himself she went to her communicator and called the others.

Once Rei, Minako, Makoto, and Ami were gathered around, the man started his story. "I know this might be hard to believe, but I'm from the future."

The four of them only looked at him. "Okay, maybe it's not so hard to believe. I know you're having a great mystery right now. Pluto would probably kill me if she knew I was here, but she most likely thinks I'm dead." He looked around at the confused looks and decided to not make them wait any longer. He took a deep breath. "I'm Kado."

"What?" Kado smiled at the reaction, focusing mainly on the blue-haired woman. She was a version of his mother at the same age as he was now.

He nodded at her and then looked at the others. "Right after the birth of Crystal Tokyo this man came into power. He has Usagi, Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, Takara, Naomi, Kita, and Michiko locked in some prison. He's bragged about it before."

"Who are Kita and Michiko?"

He swallowed and looked around at them. "I have a feeling you already know that. Kita's my younger sister. Michiko is Rei's child."

The two, who had expected that, tried to hold back the tears at the thought. "So how are we supposed to find this prison?"

"That's why I came. I know where it is. I'm the only person left out of all of us who knows. He brought us all, sort of a sick game, to the place once- to see them. After that he made sure he killed us all. At least he thought he did. I quickly changed my name and got out of town. Everyone else is dead."

To be continued...


	6. Plans

-Motherhood-

Chapter 6: Plans

By: Tisha

"Okay, they'll have tight security so you all need to be in uniform and ready." Kado pointed to the map of Tokyo. "This is where it is. It's very hard to find the entrance, and once inside it's practically a maze."

Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Urawa, Jifu, Shiro, and all the children were planning to get their loved ones back the next day. They were all gathered at the temple to make the plans. Kado, in between telling them important information, kept glancing at his younger self.

"What about this guy in charge? We've got to do something about him so he can't try this again."

"Don't worry, he'll definitely meet us before we manage to free them. This means a pretty big battle on your part."

"Oh great."

Makoto looked at Rei. "What?"

"We've had trouble with these guys before, can you imagine what'd it would be like when we're practically thirty?"

"Twenty-five thank you very much." Everyone laughed at Minako's input, glad for a distraction from the seriousness of the whole thing.

Ami sighed suddenly and Urawa looked at her. "What's wrong?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering why these kidnappers always show up when I'm pregnant."

"What?" Urawa was just as shocked as the others were.

"Think about it. Kado's sister is three years younger than him. That's about right. It'd explain the way I've been feeling lately. I was already wondering."

A silence suddenly fell over the room as everyone thought of the sacrifice they'd be taking to get everyone back. All were dreading the day to come.

•••••••••••••••••••

Sailor Mercury scanned the large building with her visor. It was at least twenty stories tall and no one passing by would ever suspect that it was actually being used as a prison. "I can't get anything you guys. It must have some kind of a coating or shield."

"Well then can you find an entrance?"

Mercury sighed and again started her scanning. It was a few minutes before she removed the visor. "At the back of the building. There's a basement entrance. The stairs are hidden with trees."

•••••••••••••••••••

Usagi quickly stood as she heard the door open. She glanced at Mamoru, who was sleeping next to Chibi-Usa. Takara and Naomi were playing together on the other side of the room. She looked back to the door to see the man come in.

"I hate you people."

Usagi swallowed. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Your stupid friends are dumb enough to think that they can get you out. They've already made it a little ways into the building." He glanced at Usagi and saw the hope in her eyes. "I'll let them think that they might actually pull it off. And then I'll kill them." He laughed wickedly but then stopped. "Of course I didn't want to kill those two who would give birth but I might as well if they insist on being a bother."

Usagi looked nervously at Naomi, who was sitting very near him. Following her line of sight, he narrowed his eyes and kicked his boot into Naomi's shin. She cried out and ran toward Usagi. "Your friends *will* regret this." With that he turned and quickly left.

Usagi sighed and picked up Naomi. Suddenly realizing that she hadn't heard the click of the lock she went toward the door and turned the doorknob, shocked as it actually turned. Putting Naomi down she went over to wake her husband and daughter.

To be continued...


	7. Victory

-Motherhood-

Chapter 7: Victory

By: Tisha

"How do we know which room they'll be in?" Sailor Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter stood in the building where their children as well and Usagi and Mamoru were being held. There were at least fifteen doors, all locked. And they guessed that the other twenty stories held just as many doors.

"Well we need keys to get in them." Mercury scanned one of the doors. "I can tell this way if it's occupied. This one is not. But this can take a long time. What if they have them all in separate rooms?"

"You won't have to worry about that." They all turned the voice behind them. "You annoying senshi." He sighed as he stepped closer. "You can call me Aku. A convenient little nickname I made for myself. I'm guessing you are here to 'free' your friends and/or children but I'm sorry to tell you that won't be happening today."

"You're going to give me back my daughter or you're going to regret it." Jupiter stepped ahead of the others.

Aku laughed at her. He pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a small silver rod. Pointing it at her it emitted a red light that Jupiter dodged. Pointing it again he shot four different rays. Most were dodged but Mars was hit by one of them. She cursed as it brushed her arm, causing the new wound to bleed.

Mercury ran to her to check the wound. She ripped a piece of cloth from her own skirt and tied it around the cut. Mars thanked her as she used her Flame Sniper, which Aku easily dodged. He zapped a few more lasers; this time they all dodged every one.

Aku laughed. "You know you can't dodge forever. I can easily shoot so many of these things that you won't have the slightest chance to live. But I enjoy playing with you."

As Jupiter and Venus fired attacks at Aku, Mercury tried to scan the building. She heard an odd noise and looked around. There was a corridor behind her to the left so she discreetly backed up and looked down it. Standing right there were all five of their kidnapped friends and children. Mercury nodded toward them and tugged on Mars' skirt. Mars looked at her a little aggravated. "What?"

"They're in the corridor. Give me the brooch." She motioned with her head toward the corridor. Mars followed her sight and then handed her Sailor Moon's brooch, which had been in the returned luggage from California.

Mars fired an attack as a distraction as Mercury backed up and tossed the brooch to Usagi, who caught it. She nodded toward Mamoru and quietly transformed. Meanwhile Aku was firing more random shots. One of them burned into Venus's leg. She yelled in pain as several of the others came to check it out. She was unable to put her weight on that leg so she had to lean against a wall to support herself.

Sailor Moon took this as her cue to reveal herself. She came out from her hiding place and proceeded to say her usual introduction. Sailor Venus and Jupiter were surprised to see her, but not as much as Aku. "What the- how did you get out?"

Sailor Moon took his confusion as her cue, yelling out "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss." The attack hit him directly, sending him against a wall. He got up, cursing constantly.

Mars and Mercury teamed up on him, knocking him against the wall again. He had definitely lost his dodging concentration as he still tried to understand how his prisoners had escaped.

Mercury lifted her visor and looked at Sailor Moon. "I think he's pretty weak now. Try your attack again."

Sailor Moon tried again, and this time Aku lay unmoving.

The senshi sighed with relief. Moon, Jupiter and Venus were the first to round the corner and pick up their kids. They made their way out of the building, happy to have their missing loved ones back. As they were exiting, Pluto reappeared. "The future is as it should be." She looked to Kado, who had waited outside during the fight. "You need to be getting back." He smiled at Sailor Mercury and returned with Sailor Pluto to the future.

Takara, Naomi, and Chibi-Usa were talking excitedly as they had just discovered that their mothers were the Sailor Senshi they admired so much from their favorite show. Minako realized she'd have to make sure Takara didn't go to school claiming that her mother was Sailor Venus. The five senshi hugged their goodbyes, heading to their homes and families. Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa headed to Ikuko's house to assure her they were fine. Usagi had decided in the prison that she wanted to tell her mother about her identity. She was planning to tell the entire truth about the disappearances.

To be continued...


	8. Family

-Motherhood-

Chapter 8: Family

By: Tisha

Ikuko and Kenji had been very shocked by the news of their daughter's alternate identity but

they said it explained a lot. They seemed more excited about it than anything else. Usagi and

Mamoru were finally able to return home after what seemed like a lifetime. Chibi-Usa had many

questions after seeing her mother become Sailor Moon and Usagi had tried to answer them all while

convincing her that it was a secret.

Usagi and Mamoru finally got Chibi-Usa to sleep and they cuddled up in the living room with

a fire lit. "That was some vacation, wasn't it?" Mamoru asked Usagi as he tightened his arms

around her.

She laughed a little. "I think I liked the first week the best."

He smiled. "Too bad we didn't get to see San Francisco."

Usagi turned around to look at him. "Who needs Japan Town anyway?" They both laughed until

Mamoru stopped Usagi's laughter with a kiss.

•••••••••••••••••••

Ami sighed, sitting down next to Urawa on the couch. "It sure was weird to see Kado as an

adult."

Urawa put an arm around her. "Yeah, it looks like we do a pretty good job with our kids."

At the plural of the word Ami smiled. "A son and a daughter. That's perfect. Kado sure is a

handful though, maybe Kita will be better behaved."

"Yeah, either way we have a good life, eh?"

Ami smiled as she cuddled against her husband's chest. Most likely they wouldn't have

to face any evil for a long time and it was nice to know there would be family time.

•••••••••••••••••••

Rei swept the last step leading up to the Hikawa Shrine. Leaning the broom against a wall

she sighed with satisfactions and looked at the gorgeous scenery. She finally let her heart be

content with what she had. Before this whole thing had happened she'd felt jealous of the

lives her friends had. But now she knew she'd have her own family in time, but for now, this

was just fine. "I can't wait to meet you Michiko." She whispered to the wind.

•••••••••••••••••••

Makoto kissed Kioshi's cheek and pulled the covers up to his chin. Flipping the light off

on her way out she headed to her bedroom. Jifu was just inside and he greeted her with a long

kiss.

"What was that for?"

He shrugged. "I just love you. It's nice to have the family back together."

Makoto smiled as she collapsed onto the bed. "Yeah, too bad you're going to be leaving again."

Jifu nodded sadly. He had another business trip he couldn't get out of. "But until then we can spend every minute together, just the four of us."

Makoto smiled sleepily at the thought of spending a day with her husband, her daughter,

and her son. She fell asleep thinking of her great family and wonderful friends.

•••••••••••••••••••

"Takara, I missed you." Aiko looked up at her sister with adoring green eyes. "Mama said

you'd be back and she was right!"

Takara smiled at her little sister. "Yes, I'm back. I knew Mama would rescue me."

Both girls looked up at Minako and Shiro. Minako scooped Aiko into her arms. "It's bedtime

girls. I'll be in in a minute Takara." She headed into Aiko's bedroom, tucking her in. Shiro came

in to say goodnight and then the two of them went into Takara's room, putting her to bed as well.

"I'm proud of you Takara. Usagi said you were very good about taking care of the younger

ones."

Takara smiled. "I didn't mind. They were more scared than me."

Minako kissed her forehead. "I love you. Sleep well."

Shiro took his turn at kissing her. "You know I love you as well, right?"

Takara smiled at him. "Of course daddy!"

Shiro smiled at the word. He felt like he was her dad and it made him feel proud just for

her to call him that. He looked at Minako to see her smiling as well.

"Mommy, Daddy?"

They both turned around to face their daughter.

"Can I have a brother?"

Minako laughed a little as she looked at Shiro. Seeing the love in his eyes she smiled

back at her daughter. "Maybe. We'll be working on it." With that Shiro put an arm around her,

leading her from Takara's bedroom. The little girl smiled to herself and turned over, falling

into a deep, satisfied sleep.

The end.

Well, like the ending? Feedback would be wonderful!

If you'd like to keep following the story, the nextstory in line is "New Earth." And if you want more Rei,

she plays a much bigger part in that story. :)


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